Final Fantasy X
by Cirien Phoenix
Summary: A novelization of the game. Faithful to the game, but added scenes of memories and things barely mentioned in the game. Just try reading the first chapter. You'll see. No prior knowledge of the game necessary to read this!
1. The Girl on the Bridge

Final Fantasy X - a novelization

(Author's intro: You don't need to know anything about X or have even played it, since this is a novelization. I have the right to put the events in any order I choose, I can add to them, take away from them, and even make new ones. Instead of starting where the game starts with Tidus on the hill, I've started at the beginning of Braska's Calm. If you know nothing about Final Fantasy X, please read on as this will be a relatively faithful story. )

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Chapter 1- The Girl on the Bridge 

The shouting and celebration of the crowd was deafening. People were dancing in the streets and hugging each other like there was no tomorrow. But there was a tomorrow. There would be for at least a little while longer. Sin, the monster plaguing the great lands of Spira, had been defeated. The victors had been a summoner by the name of Lord Braska and his two guardians, Sir Jecht and Sir Auron. They weren't there amongst the thrilled crowds of people, however. Instead, Braska's daughter was. Yuna, the child of the famed summoner stood looking down from her bedroom window at the jubilation. Her brown hair cut right at the shoulders shielded her face from any would-be onlookers. Her eyes, one green and one blue, peered sadly from under her long locks. Yuna was so happy. Sin was defeated. Spira was safe until it's resurrection years from now. The streets of Bevelle were alive with people laughing and crying. Yuna was sad, too. She was now an orphan. Her father had died in the fight against Sin. He was never coming back. Her mother had died years ago as well. Sweet little seven-year old Yuna was all alone, even in the busiest city in the whole land. Below her window, a group of men raised their glasses of wine in the air and shouted, "To our hero, Lord Braska!" Yuna stepped back from her window and flopped down on her modest little bed to try and sleep.

Hours later, she awoke. The sun had set leaving the room completely dark. So much time had passed and still, the crowds cheered on and on. It seemed like it would never stop. Really, the celebration wouldn't die down until at least a few days from now. Yuna sat up, deciding that it was a good time to take a walk and get away from the massive party in honor of her poor deceased father. It was really starting to sink in that her father was never coming back. After all, wouldn't such great heroes be escorted back to their home immediately? Nothing of the sort had happened though. Yuna got dressed in a simple dark blue robe dress, brushed out her hair and then walked out of her room and out the front door into the bustling metropolis that Bevelle had burst into.

Trying to be inconspicuous, she walked and walked until her feet started to hurt. Thankfully, no one had recognized her in the torchlight of the city. Looking around her, she saw she was on a high bridge just inside the edges of the city. Behind her, was the giant temple, the religious center of Bevelle. Ahead of her was the vast darkness. Even in the dark, she could see the Calm Lands, the place where her father had fought and defeated Sin. It was only on the edge of the horizon and it wasn't even recognizable in the almost total darkness. Still, she knew it was there just as much as the other times in pure daylight that she had ventured out to look. She soon wondered if memory had drawn her here. The bridge was where her and her father had parted before his journey. She remembered hugging him and telling him that she loved him and him returning the same to her, then he had turned and walked away with Sir Auron and Sir Jecht. He had left to save Spira, but she really wanted him to come back and be with her.

Suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder. A huge strong hand. Yuna turned around in surprise expecting someone to ask her why she was out at night or to say something about her father. Instead, a quiet lion-like beast stood erect before her. His waist was adorned with a series of loincloths, belts, and ropes. He had armor on his hands and chest. His face was serious and solid with gold eyes looking down at terrified little Yuna. A breeze blew past and his long white hair gently fluttered. Yuna's greatest shock came when she saw the horn on his forehead. This creature was of a race called Ronso. This one's horn, however, was broken.

"I'm looking for daughter of Braska," said a deep, thundering, yet quiet voice in broken speech.

Yuna wondered why he would seek her out. Staying silent, she backed up a step. The Ronso didn't take a step or say a word. He stood watching her. Gulping back fear, Yuna spoke timidly. "I'm Braska's daughter."

"A man facing death made wish. He said, 'Take Braska's daughter from Bevelle. Far as you can. Go to Besaid." The Ronso's long tail came into view as it wagged once.

Yuna grabbed the rail of the bridge with both hands. A dying man. That could only mean her father. Knowing that if her father could trust this creature, she could too. Racing to the Ronso, she threw her arms as far around him as they would go while she sobbed and shook with grief. The Ronso stood for a moment, then her placed his giant clawed hands on her back and held her with out saying a word. He held her until she couldn't cry any more. Once Yuna had regained her composure some, they left the city together. They left to venture to Besaid. They left as the dying man had wished.

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More chapters incredibly soon. This part was only mentioned in the game (and quite late into it, I might add), so I elaborated and added. I hope this was good. 

Cirien Phoenix


	2. Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes

Chapter 2- Star player of the Zanarkand Abes

The giant city of Zanarkand was all lit up with streetlights and starlight. The sky was black, but the city was alive. A city that never slept, never stopped, never knew rest. Outside the main center was water everywhere. On a small stretch of walkway burned a little bonfire with a group of people watching the flames, waiting. Around the small group were a few dozen others. Adults and children alike stood waiting. A vigil of ultimate fans. They awaited the man in the houseboat connected to the place they all stood.

"There he is!" someone screamed. People jumped to their feet and crowded the end of the houseboat's deck.

A blonde man walked into view. Women began to swoon. The twenty-something raced up to the surging crowd his short blonde locks bobbing. His cropped yellow shirt was covered by a pair of black overalls covered in zippers and belts. They were shorts which fell above the knee, except on one leg, a black mesh with a red and yellow Y shaped logo on the front extended further covering his left knee. On his right arm was a green metal glove pieced together like a series of scales. The top of the glove stopped below the elbow where a red mesh attached it to a blue leather shoulder piece. His bright yellow shoes, a perfect match to his shirt, made a clicking sound on the deck as he ran up to the people. His chest was exposed, and it was where most of the women were staring. On it was a silver necklace with the same Y shaped logo as a silver medallion. His ears were also pierced and holding matching earrings.

"I've been a big fan of yours from the very beginning," said a star-struck woman as he walked up to her.

"I won't let you down," he said smiling brightly.

"Th-thanks!"

He stepped a little further into the throng. "Are you gonna show us that move tonight?" said another woman.

"Uh… I dunno. Maybe." He turned and back up a little further giving a gentle wave. Turning around a man wished him good luck to which he nodded.

A few steps more and two women raced up to him. "Can I have your autograph?" said the dark haired girl in a pink shirt as she held out a blue and white ball to him.

"Sure," he said happily as he wrote Tidus on the ball and handed it back.

"Good luck tonight," said her dark-skinned friend wearing a green shirt.

"Nothing to worry about," he said carelessly. Pausing a minute, he smiled even wider. "If I score a goal, I'll do this!" He raised his arms and waved his fists. "That will mean it was for you! Okay? What seat?"

"East block. In the front row. Fifth from the right," she replied bashfully.

"Got it!" Tidus said, giving her the girls a thumbs up. "See you at the game!" Turning around, he walked over to a group of three boys.

"Can you sign this?"

Tidus took the blitzball from his hands. "No prob!" He handed it back.

"Please?" said the second boy, thrusting the ball into Tidus's hands.

"Alrighty."

"Me, too!"

Tidus grabbed the ball laughing. "Alright. Take it easy."

Once he signed a few more fans blitzballs, smiling at the praise he was receiving, he turned to leave. "Well, gotta go. Cheer for me."

The three boys stepped forward. The first boy counted. "One, two, three!" All three boys burst out, "Teach us how to blitz!"

"Hey," Tidus said laughing again. "I got a game to play."

"Teach us after!" shouted the second boy gleefully.

Tidus stuttered for a second. "Um… maybe tonight…um…well…"

A strange, tan boy in a purple shirt with his hood over his eyes spoke up. "You can't tonight."

Tidus stuttered again. "I mean… tomorrow."

"Promise?" asked the second boy.

"Promise!" Turning away from the fans, he jogged off down the street toward the stadium. As he jogged he passed a screen with a picture of a tan shirtless man with his arms crossed and a red bandana around his head and chest-length, dark brown, messy hair falling over his shoulders. The newscaster was talking about the day Jecht, the star blitz player, disappeared. Tidus ignored it and kept running.

Finally, he reached the stadium players entrance only to be mobbed once again by a huge crowd of people. "Make way! Make way! Coming through," Tidus said pushing between people. "Sorry! I'm gonna be late! Hey, let go of me!" He pushed through until he stood before everyone. He waved once, then jogged inside.

Darkness surrounded him as he sat. Only a dim glow of a greenish-blue light could be seen. Suddenly, the roof of the stadium split open to reveal the gorgeous night sky. The game sphere, the enormous round area in the middle of the stadium where blitzball took place, began to fill with water. The sphere was a giant ball of water suspended in mid-air. Tidus dove in as the crowd began to scream.

Several goals later, Tidus was thrashing the competition. The other players were starting to get brutal and violent toward his team, the Zanarkand Abes, but still Tidus outshined them easily. A pass was made and the ball flew up and broke out of the sphere. Tidus eyed it for a second, grinning, then swam like a streak of lightning until he too had broken the surface. Flipping over and preparing to kick the ball backwards into the opposing goal, he saw something out in the distance. The water out in the distance over the city was rising up like a huge tsunami wave. Reacting quickly, Tidus grabbed onto the top bar of the stadium over the sphere. The wave broke to reveal a giant monster. Before anyone could run, or even think, the creature shot missiles and the town's destruction began. Tidus held on for all he was worth, but still it wasn't enough. The powerful shaking of the explosions shook him loose and he fell straight down into the destruction and chaos.


	3. A City of Sin

Tidus sat up and rubbed his forehead. There was screaming and people were running past him out the stadium doors. All the sound was muffled, but slowly was returning to a normal level. Standing up, he looked around. The bars and rafters had come down around him, but not a single one had hit him. He breathed in complete relief that he'd had a lucky fall and nothing more. It seemed everyone had jut left the stadium. Tidus didn't want to look at the destruction around him anymore. Without looking at the smashed stadium seating and completely annhilated sphere, he jogged out the doors after everyone.

As if waiting for him, a man in a long red trench coat with a large white cermanic jug on his hip leaned against a fallen pole. His collar was up over his face, but gray sunglasses and silvering hair poked out the top. His left arm was tucked into his coat as if the coat were a sling for a broken arm. He looked over at the doors and raised the sword, which had been at his side out of view, up on to his shoulder.

Tidus ran up to him. "Auron?! What are you doing here?"

Suspicions were correct. "I was waiting for you." Auron began to walk away as if assuming that Tidus would just follow.

Tidus began to talk as he followed. "What are you talking about?"

As they reached the highway void of life, Tidus kept silent. Auron made it apparent he wasn't in a talking mood.

"Don't cry," said a familiar voice off to the side. "It begins." Tidus looked around confused. The confusion only deepened when he saw everything had stopped. Not just people, but a burning fire wasn't moving and a building halfway through crumbling was now levitating chunks of plaster, glass, and metal. Looking toward the voice, he saw the strange tan child in the purple hooded shirt. The boy was floaty and wispy, like a mirage. Just as Tidus prepared to say something a rush of noise hit him as time began again and people's screams could be heard.

"What the…. Hey! Wait!" The boy was gone. Auron was, too. Tidus looked around and saw Auron in the distance further down the highway. Racing to catch up, he shouted to him, "Hey! That's not the way!"

"Look," Auron replied with an air of impeccable calmness. It was unnatural in the chaos surrounding them.

Tidus looked in the direction Auron was. Out of the water rose a huge sphere of water. In the sphere was the monster. This time, Tidus got a better look. It had dozens of black eyes on its face. The body looked hard like stone. It had something resembling fins coming from down low on its sides, almost at its stomach. A tail stuck out on the end with a series of barbs coming off of them. The monster was sandy brown color. More importantly, it was humongous. Not just skyscraper-sized, but several city blocks might not compare to the gigantic atrocity.

Auron spoke calmly still, even as the monster hovered over part of the city readying for another attack. With his voice low and deep he said, "We call it 'Sin.'"

"Sin?"

Before more could be said, the face of a building exploded. A large black and grey tentacle whipped out. Off the tentacle shot several man-sized pods. The pods burst open. Green creatures with red and yellow wings popped out. Tidus moved quickly as he began to pound the nearest one with his fists. The monster stumbled a bit and stepped back, but appeared unscathed.

"Here," Auron said with authority. "A gift from Jecht." He tossed Tidus a black and red sword with a curved blade.

Catching it by the handle, he waved it once. "My old man?" he said with skeptical uncertainty.

"I hope you know how to use it."

The monsters had gained confidence and were now closing in.

"We need to get through," Auron told him, readying his blade and pulling his arm that was tucked in the coat out into the open. His arm was unharmed. Tidus knew this meant Auron was some sort of warrior without a master, a ronin perhaps. "Cut only the ones that matter!"

Tidus jumped with his sword onto the foremost creature blocking his path. A swift slice and it disappeared in a flurry of lights. The lights appeared when a monster, a fiend, was killed. No one was really sure what the cause of the phenomenon was, but it was good to see those little rainbow colored glowing balls because it meant the monster was dead. Auron, likewise, was progressing through the group faster. It was a sign of experience in battle. "Don't bother to go after them all! Cut the ones that matter and run," Auron shouted from a bit further ahead as Tidus struck one to the side of him. One after another the two struck down the creatures blocking their way. What they were headed towards remained a mystery to Tidus, but Auron was one to be trusted and if he knew something, then Tidus was happy to obey. Quickly the central line of fiends were eliminated. A path was made. The pair began to run over the hill in the road. On the other side, a tentacle had burst up through and was writhing in their path.

"Get out of my town," Tidus shouted racing to the tentacle.

Auron pushed his glasses up. "Some can't wait to die!" Outrunning Tidus he swung his sword strong and forcefully into the base of the tentacle. It thrashed about wildly as Auron stepped away and slung his blade back up onto his shoulder. Seconds later, the tentacle burst into lights and disappeared. The two began to run once again.

Flickering to the right, the screen with the man in the red bandana caught Tidus's attention. Sneering, he shouted, "What are you laughing at old man?" It was picture of his father, Jecht. Not something he wanted to see at the moment.

"We're expected. Come on." Auron was up ahead again.

"Hey! Gimme a break, man!" Tidus was exhausted. Sports were his forte, but this was just ridiculous. Putting his hands on his knees, he took a deep breath to collect himself as best as he could. Standing up again, he followed Auron.

Soon they reached the end of the highway. The rest had broken off and fallen to the city below. Auron stood looking up at Sin who was very close at hand. It was so close that pieces of street and debris were being sucked up into the water sphere surrounding it. Tidus was finally beginning to catch up to him. Auron looked back as a loud crack sounded through the air. The street Tidus was running on was breaking apart and falling. In a panic, Tidus jumped and latched on to the edge of the road where Auron stood. He called Auron's name as he flailed his feet trying to get up. Auron ignored his cries and looked up to Sin. "You are sure?"

Tidus was beginning to lose his grip as Auron turned back to face him. "This is it. This is your story," Auron told him. "It all begins here." Tidus let out a shout of fear as light and sound closed in on him. He felt like he was being stretched in every direction, but being crushed at the same time. His heart was pounding so hard it could have burst from his chest. Just as his grip failed, he passed out.


	4. Circumstances of the Water

Chapter 4- Circumstances of the Water

The building had fallen into a derelict state and had sunk into the water. The brown stone walkways and walls were crumbling and falling apart. It had been so long since the building had seen anyone that plants were growing in the water between statues of men and pillars all of which were completely submerged. Fish swam about between the fallen, algae covered rocks. A little silvery fish swam towards a yellow colored stone in the water, then flitted away quickly as the rock, or rather the shoe, was pulled up out of the water by the person wearing it.

Tidus raised his head expecting to find himself in the ruins of Zanarkand. Instead, his eyes were treated to the sight of the abandoned walls and walkways leading up to what looked like some sort of temple. Getting to his feet, he shivered and watched his breath for a minute. It would kill him to stay for too long. Jogging to try and get warm, he began toward the sunken temple. It was so quiet he could hear the water dripping around him. "Anybody here?" He didn't really expect an answer, but would have gladly accepted one. It occurred to him that Auron was missing. "Auron! Heeey! Auron! Where are you?!" Nothing. Not a soul moved except for the occasional little fish beneath him in the depths. Sighing he continued on towards the temple along a raised narrow path which stretched out over the water. Halfway across to the temple, the path stopped. Looking around, he saw other dead ends around him, but nothing leading straight ahead. Turning to walk back and think of something else, he took one step. Instantly, he was thrown into the water as the stone path collapsed unexpectedly. The water swirled up around him. Wishing for better luck, he began to breaststroke toward what looked like doors under the water.

Tidus wondered if Lady Luck were ignoring him today as he spotted three green blurs in the distance approaching quickly underwater. Dipping under the water, he realized that all along he'd been carrying the sword from his father. Maybe his luck wasn't it at its worst. The three fishlike creatures approached and spread their four sets of fins out. They had red and yellow skin on the tips of their fins, gaping red mouths full of sharp teeth, and glaring yellow eyes. Tidus gulped back his fear of fighting alone as he swam slashing at the nearest one. As his sword passed through the first one, a second one circled behind him trying to catch him off guard. Whirling around his blade passed cleanly through it making it burst into little rainbow lights like the first one had done. Tidus felt confidence and power build up in himself as he began to chase the third one. A rushing sound stopped him.

Looking over his shoulder, he caught sigh of a giant fish with its mouth wide open. Dodging out of the way in time, the fish shot past him and in two bites swallowed the green fish monster. Tidus prepared as the fish approached him. Once it neared, he swam up and out of the way while bringing his sword down on the fiend's back. It gave out an intense growl and flipped around back toward him swimming faster than before. Tidus felt his skin crawl realizing this fish could easily out-swim him. Turning tail, he began to wildly make his way through the water. The fish closed in every second. An opening in the wall was just ahead. Attempting to put on a burst of speed Tidus felt the fish's mouth closing down on him. Trying to hold back a scream, he was shot forward as the fish collided with the wall sending a rush of water and Tidus himself into the darkness. Behind him, he could hear rocks crashing down on the entrance and, he hoped, on the fish's head, too.

"Out of the frying pan, into the freezer," he thought glumly as he climbed a set of stairs out of the water. He considered the possibility that he might die here.

The top of the stairs opened out into an open ceiling room. Pillars at least a hundred feet tall towered above with arches connecting the tops of them. Water was pouring over the edges of the walls that lay just outside the ring of pillars. Tidus could see his breath again and cursed the people who had designed this place. Arched doorways were visible at various points throughout the room. Pieced of rock had fallen in front of some of them. Ugly statues of men dotted the round room as well.

Tidus talked to himself to try and keep his senses and give himself some comfort in the sound of the rain. Walking to the middle of the pillars, he found the remains of a fire. The wood was hardly damp at all. "Cold… Need…. Fire…"

Jogging to the closest doorway, he entered and opened a drawer in a wooden, rotting desk. Nothing, but soaked papers. Drawer after drawer revealed nothing, water, or soaked items. Finally, ripping out the last desk drawer, he found pieces of flint. Wondering if he could use the papers as fire, he picked up some that he'd thrown across the floor. They practically disintegrated in his hands from being wet for so long. Tidus wondered if he'd find anything dry in this place. Jogging to the next archway door, he found another desk, also rotted and wet, but this time holding nothing. Tidus really began to think that he should prepare to starve or freeze to death in this nasty forgotten place. He felt like giving up, but then wondered what the harm was of trying anyways. The next archway opened to a set of stairs. At the top was a dead end blocked by tons of fallen rocks. He eyed the red cloth tapestry on the wall, but it was sopping wet and ice cold. Making his way back down the stairs, his eye caught something yellow he hadn't noticed on the way up. It was a bouquet of withered flowers. Reaching out, he expected them to be wet. His hand touched them and they crinkled with brittle dryness. Feeling like jumping for joy, he raced back downstairs to the logs in the middle. Striking the flint on the logs and bouquet he slowly got a fire started. He huddled as close to the fire as he dared while gallons of water poured down around him in almost darkness. Things were warmer, but not much better.

Once he'd warmed up and partially dried off, Tidus relaxed. "I need food," he told himself aloud. Suddenly weakness overcame him and he drifted into a dreamlike stupor. Looking around he saw the inside of his house. The door opened behind him. Auron entered. "It was a bad call," he said to Tidus. "Your team lost because of you." Tidus remembered this time well. He wasn't sure why this memory was the one that chose to come floating to him.

"You came to say THAT?"

"It been," Auron began, "ten years. I thought you'd be crying."

Tidus replied, "Who me?"

Between him and Auron, the purple hooded boy appeared with little lights swirling around him. The lights were the kind that appeared at the defeat of a fiend. "You cried," he said to Tidus.

Waking up a little, Tidus realized he was falling asleep by the fire. Its flames were barely clinging to life. Shock shot over him as he jumped up. "Hey! Wait! Don't go out on me," he begged. "Just hold on. I'll get some more wood." He had no idea where he would find more, but he would try. Looking up, he saw something move on the wall. Squinting to try and see better, he saw it was a red and brown fiend like a giant preying mantis. It looked back at him for a second, then it began to race across the wall effortlessly. As the fiend jumped down to attack Tidus, the large metal doors to his right blew open. A group of people wearing multicolored body suits and goggles burst in with different weapons. Tidus hoped they were guns packing super fire power. Out of the clearing smoke stepped a slimmer smaller figure. It looked like a teenage girl wearing a red and orange suit with goggles and puffy blonde hair back in a ponytail.

Tidus turned back to the fiend. The girl came up to his side without saying a word. Tidus broke the silence by saying, "You on my side? Cool!"

The girl opened a pouch on her side and tossed something out at the fiend. It exploded on impact sending the fiend flying backwards. As it tumbled, Tidus ran forward and cut it with his sword. It fell dead, then exploded into lights.

"Whew! That was close, "he said, smiling to the girl. One of the armed men came up and grabbed Tidus by the hair. "Hey! Lemme go!" He struggled, but felt like his scalp was going to be taken off.

"Fryd ec drec?"

Tidus looked at the man who'd spoken to the girl. He gave them both a baffled look and stopped fighting. These people probably couldn't understand a word he was saying. The girl understood her own native language, however. The man had asked, "What is this?" "A fiend in human disguise," said a second of the men. "Yes, it is so!" a third told her. The fourth man spoke to the girl, " We kill it?"

The girl looked at Tidus whose face was pathetically confused and pleading. He obviously had no idea what they were saying. "Wait! What if it's human?" she said to the men in her language.

The fourth man scoffed. "They are the same in death."

The girl put her hands on her hips. With an air of authority, she said, "No! I forbid it. We bring it with us. Walking up to Tidus, she whispered, "Cunno," which meant "Sorry." As she stepped away from him, she drove a punch into his stomach knocking the wind out him. The man dropped Tidus who fell to the ground gasping for air. The room began to swim as he saw the four men lean over him closely. Looking at the doorway, he saw the girl leave and wondered if he was being helped or killed.


	5. Al Bhed Salvage Operation

First off, to reviewer Chris Nguyen. Since I don't do email replies, I'll do it here. I shortened the battle with the "praying mantis" to prevent the battle from being tedious and also because real life fighting wouldn't be turn-based. Believe me, other major battles in the future will be better. Thanks so much for your reviews. Any other reviewers will receive a PM from me as a reply. Now, back to the story.

Chapter 5- Al Bhed Salvage Operation

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Tidus sat up out of unconsciousness for the third time. "This is getting ridiculous," he thought as he saw two armed guards walking toward him.

"Ced, lybdeja!" One of them men slammed the butt of his gun into Tidus's chest.

Tidus fell back down onto the cold metal deck of the ship they were on. "Hey! That hurts!" Looking past the men, he saw the top of the ship had several searchlights scanning the water. Tidus wondered what for, worried they would draw Sin back to him.

"Hu sujehk, rayn?" said the second man brandishing his gun as if to hit Tidus again at the slightest breath.

Tidus didn't need to speak their language to know that he couldn't face up against them. Nervously, he sat and waited. For some time, Tidus sat with the cold metal biting him through his pants and the frigid air taking care of the rest of him. The best thing he could think to stop from going crazy was, "At least I'm not alone."

A metal door slid open loudly from behind the men. Tidus looked up slowly, hoping his captors wouldn't brutalize him anymore.

"Caynir res!" said a man who walked out. Beside him stood the girl.

"Right. Whatever," Tidus replied as the two guards approached him again.

"Tu oui hud cbayg?" said the new man to him.

Tidus was aware the question, or what he thought was a question, was directed at him. Pleading, he said, "I-I don't understand!"

The first man made a move as if to strike him. "Ehcumahla!"

The girl rushed up to him. "Fyed!" Turning to Tidus she said, "He said you can stay if you make yourself useful."

Tidus's eyes opened wide. "You understand me?! All right!" A grin spread across his face. "I'll work." At least it was better than being beaten, killed, or tossed back into the ocean.

The girl smiled back at him. "We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it...and then we should be able to salvage the big prize! Okay! Let's get to work!"

"Roger!" Tidus said feeling much better for the first time since Sin's attack. One of the men, handed Tidus his sword. Together, him and the girl dove into the water over the side of the ship and began to follow the anchor line down into the depths. Tidus knew he could hold his breath for a long, long time since it was part of being a blitzplayer, but the girl? Apparently, she'd trained herself to do the same, or maybe she was a blitzplayer, too. Either way, if she choked, he'd be ready to scoop her up and take her back to the surface. Maybe she'd think he was a knight in shining armor or something. She was a cute little number, after all and only a little younger. As the water pressure increased and they swam deeper, Tidus began to see the outline of a building. He looked over at the girl whose face wasn't hiding her excitement. Maybe they were going to get rich off this salvage, or maybe they were going to find something really awesome, Tidus wasn't sure, but her thrill was slowly taking hold of him, too.

At the bottom, with the lights of the ship above only barely visible at all, they entered the broken down little building. Its walls were metal, but algae and moss clung to them making them slimy and discolored. The girl swam ahead and Tidus followed. She seemed to know where she was going. Tidus figured this was why she'd trained herself to hold her breath for so long, so she could work. Her experience was evident. They passed hallways and went through rooms each void of anything, but metal and algae. No life stirred beyond themselves simply passing through. Tidus wondered how a whole building could sink under the water. Soon, they came to a large round room with a chandelier type device in the middle of the ceiling. The girl swam to it while Tidus watched. "Why do I even need to be here?" he thought. "She seems to have things covered pretty well all by herself.

The power in the room clicked on as red lights flickered to life around them on the walls and on the device itself. The girl swam back down to him and motioned back the way they came. They passed down a hallway which might had been an enclosed walk around the building. The elaborate metal decorated screens went across the entire perimeter. Tidus hadn't paid much attention before, but now the corridor was lit with the same red emergency lights as the other room. Spotting a huge hole in one panel, he motioned to the girl. She simply shook her head and pointed the way they had come. Tidus internally scoffed at her not wanting to get lost. The anchor was close by and they might get up to the ship quicker that way, but he didn't want more abuse back up top, so he followed the girl. Finally, they entered the last room before the anchor up. Swimming side by side, they began to move around the giant glass cylinder of unknown use that was in the middle of the room from floor to ceiling. The girl stopped suddenly and grabbed his ankle. Tidus looked around and saw what she wanted him to. A large dark shape was coming from the direction of the anchor. Staying put, they waited. A huge squid-like creature came into focus and immediately came toward them. The girl kept calm and swam at it. Colliding head-on, Tidus nervously watched as the girl punched it in the face.

As she drew back her hand, he saw a silver flash. The girl was wearing metal knuckles with a claw attachment. The squid seem perturbed for a moment, then swam after her. She swam back to Tidus's side making it apparent that he was to help. Sticking his blade out like a lance, he skillfully raced to face the monster using the speed he'd acquired during his time as a blitzer. The squid stopped abruptly to Tidus's surprise. A tentacle shot out at Tidus's side. Only barely did it miss him. The second one didn't. He let out a small, drowned cry of pain as he was struck in the leg. The girl swam up to the monster and pulled out a grenade. Pulling the pin, she lobbed it as best as she could and swam away. Tidus looked at her like she was crazy, thinking the powder in the grenade would be too soaked to go off. She pointed to the squid a second before a small explosion tore a chunk out of one of the tentacles. Tidus saw the squid hesitate for a moment, then took advantage of the pause to swim up and hack at the face.

The squid shot a tentacle out. Tidus dodged the first and was ready for the second. He moved just under the second. The squid was obviously hurt and angry. It moved around to the back of the cylinder, still blocking the exit. Tidus looked over to the girl who was looking back at him. Before either could react, the squid dashed with immense speed around the cylinder and into the two of them. The squid's face slammed into Tidus while the girl was snatched up by a tentacle. Tidus was projectiled into a wall and looked over his shoulder to see the girl thrown against the floor. He was hurting, but in one piece. The girl looked all there, too. Together they met up and Tidus pointed to the left. The squid was behind the cylinder again trying to take advantage of the attack that was successful before. The girl swam around to its face and Tidus pincered it from behind. It had nowhere to go, but through them. The girl lobbed another grenade. It went off in the creature's face. Furiously, it tried to swim the opposite way. Tidus awaited and in while the creature was still shocked and somewhat blinded, he jabbed straight out. It made contact with the center of the crown of the head. It thrashed and struck out with its tentacles randomly hoping to hit something. The girl shot up behind it, then from above shot down and punched it where Tidus had wounded it. This monster had been a viable, real creature as it bled into the water and floated to the top of the room where it bounced off the ceiling dead.

Together him and the girl followed the anchor out of the next hall and up to the ship. Behind them, lights began to come on one by one revealing what looked like some sort of airship. Once they broke the surface, a man let down a rope ladder for them to climb up.

"Fa vuiht dra airship!" said one of the two who had guarded Tidus came out from inside the ship. "Dra naluntc fana nekrd," said the other. The man who'd helped them aboard spoke next, "Huf, ruf du tnyk ed ib?"

The three men and the girl made way for the door. Tidus moved to follow. One of the men stopped and taking the gun from his back put his arm out, nearly clothes-lining Tidus in the neck. "Oui, uidceta!"

"Hey," Tidus protested, "I helped out, didn't I?" The man entered the ship, ignoring and not understanding him. The door slammed down behind him. Tidus forlornly ambled over to a pile of crates covered in a tarp. Laying down, he tried to sleep. He couldn't. "Uhh…. Hungry…." As if his wishes could come true, the girl reappeared with a tray of food. "Whoa! Right on!" Without a second of indecision, he took the tray from her hands and began to scarf the food loudly. Quickly, this became a problem. Tidus began to choke on a bite that had been too big. The girl presented a canteen of water which Tidus quickly snatched and chugged.

The girl smiled. "It's 'cause you eat too fast."

Tidus stood up, feeling untterly refreshed. "Hello there. What's your name?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at his strange new energy. "Rikku."

Tidus's glee was uncontainable. "Whoa! You really do understand! Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"I didn't get a chance to," she replied. "They thought oui were a fiend."

"Uhh….. 'we?'"

The girl nodded. "Oh, 'oui' means 'you.'"

Tidus nodded, not really understanding at all, but feeling it was better left alone. "What are you guys anyways?"

"We're Al Bhed! Can't you tell?" She gave him a confused glance, then stopped. Carefully, she continued on. "Wait…. You're not an Al Bhed-hater…. Are you?"

Tidus laughed. "I don't even know what an 'Al Bhed' is."

The girl's eye opened wide. "Where _are_ you from?"

Proudly Tidus said, "Zanarkand! I'm a blitzball player!" Adding to the end he said, "Star player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

Rikku's look was skeptical. "You hit your head or something?"

Tidus didn't know what she was expecting for an answer or why she was even asking. "Um…. You guys hit me."

"Oh right!" She gave a small apologetic look, then asked, "Do you remember anything before that?"

Tidus began to tell her everything. He told her about Zanarkand, life there, blitzball, and finally Sin's attack when him and Auron were engulfed in light. Silence met the end of his story. "Did I say something funny?"

"You were near Sin. Don't worry, you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

Tidus felt panicked. "You mean I'm sick?"

Rikku nonchalantly said, "Because of Sin's toxin, yeah."

"Y-you sure?"

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So...no one plays blitzball there."

"What do you mean, a thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way!"

Rikku thought of something to say. "You said... You play blitzball? You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognize."

Tidus had no idea what to think. Zanarkand, destroyed 1,000 years ago? Impossible. It had happened today, yesterday at the most! Still, he didn't think this was a lie. "Luca?" he finally said.

Rikku brightened. Tidus wondered if she thought that him repeating the name meant he was familiar with it. "Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise! You'd rather stay here? Okay. I'll go tell the others. Wait here. Oh, and one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone."

Tidus thought to himself, "My Zanarkand a holy place? Yeah right. Since when? Yevon? Sin? Luca? Sin has just taken me to some faraway place, I can go back in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future? No way!" Tidus kicked a crate out of frustration. At that instant, the ship began to rumble and sway. A huge pillar of water shot into the sky, then with a splash fell back down. The door of the ship opened and the three men flew out the door.

All of them were shouting something about Sin in Al Bhed. Tidus knew for sure, not just because he heard the word clearly, but because he could see it rising out of the sea. The next instant he was in the dark ocean with swirling crushing water all around him. Tidus felt weak and then again blacked out. His last thought was, "Not again…"


	6. Encounter with a Foreign Blitzball Team

College has started for me again, so I apologize for the lack of chapters being updated in a timely manner. I just don't have time. For those of you who don't know about college, or go to a homework-light college, I may not have time for a while. Several chapters of textbooks to read every night, papers to write at least every 2 or 3 days, art projects due left and right, it's crazy. So please, cut me some slack on my updating. Hope you enjoy this though.

Thanks to any reader's/reviewers. (Hope more reader's become reviewers!)  
**Cirien Phoenix**

* * *

Water lapped around him as he lay face down in it. It was a gentle swaying motion, almost like it was rocking him back to sleep. Sin couldn't be near. The water was too gentle and forgiving. Tidus snapped up out of the water as if he'd been shot. "Rikku!" Though it wasn't the first time as of late, Tidus was entirely baffled. There was no Rikku. There was no Al Bhed ship. There was no Sin. The water was blue and almost crystal clear. He could see the sand and occasional seaweed at the bottom. Looking up, the sun shined down on him with all its glory. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the sun that high in the sky. Usually he slept during the day. It was warm and welcoming. Tidus looked out at the vast ocean. It seemed to go on forever and ever. "No, I don't want to be alone again." Suddenly, something wailed him hard in the back of the head. Picking it up, he studied the blue and white ball. "Blitzball!"

"You okay?" a man's voice shouted behind him.

Tidus turned and felt absolutely embarrassed. He thought he was nowhere and instead was only a two-minute swim from shore. Ahead of him was the most beautiful shoreline he'd ever seen. The sand was almost perfectly white. A little dock jutted off to the left. The cliffs around the small beach picturesquely framed the sand. Lush palms in the most vibrant shades of green sprouted all healthily on top of them. On the beach were the figures of people wearing yellow. "Heeey!" Tidus swam underwater. The person from the shore who had called to him watched in disbelief as Tidus hit the ball out of the water with his head, then in the air, spun and kicked the ball forcefully back to shore, narrowly missing a hit to the person's head.

He stood patiently as Tidus swam to shore. "Whoa-ho!" Two of the other men ran up to him. One Tidus reached the shore, they ran back to the others. The man was itching to talk to the stranger.

Tidus waved smoothly as water dripped off of him. "Yo! Hiya!" He approached the tanned, shirtless man in yellow pants with a curl of red hair sticking straight off his head.

"You wanna try that move again?" The man crossed his arms, smiling.

Tidus nodded thinking that things were finally starting to look up for him. A ball was placed before him on the sand. All the men on the shore were wearing yellow pants like a team or club might. Tidus waited for them to gather around him, then performed the blitz move once again. The men surrounding him gaped in amazement. Tidus loved the attention.

"You're not amateur," said the red-haired man. "Who you play for?"

Tidus puffed out his chest. Prideful, he said, "The Zanarkand Abes."

The men around him started to chatter excitedly amongst themselves. Tidus realized that was the wrong answer as the red-haired man squinted and asked, "What team you say again?"

"Uh, I meant... Forget that," he babbled. "I got too, uh...close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like. So I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from." He put a hand on the back of his head while attempting to look ashamed. In a way, he did feel ashamed. Rikku had said not to speak a word of where he was from, but he'd gone and opened his big mouth anyways.

"Sin's toxin got to you." Tidus's head popped up as the man spoke. Apparently, the look on his face was enough to convince them. "But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon!"

Tidus stared as everyone around him raised their arms over their head, then arched them out and down to their waists. At their waists they turned their palms opposite, one hand over the other, so a circle was formed in the center, and then they bowed. Tidus knew it was the blitzball sign for victory. He wondered if they meant victory over Death.

The red-haired man motioned for the team to go back to the spot they'd started at. "All right. Back to practice!" Putting a hand on Tidus's shoulder he said, "I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda."At that second, Tidus's stomach let out a lion-like growl. Wakka grinned. "What? You hungry? Okay, back to the village. I'll get you somethin'."

Wakka stepped forward, but Tidus hesitated. He felt he could trust this man, stranger as he was, so he decided to ask. "It's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago? So it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?"

Wakka turned and gave him a sideways look, then another look of understanding passed over his face. He seemed to remember Tidus's "ailment" caused by the Toxin. "Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina--machines--to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well, take a look. Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand. What gets me, though..." He paused, then continued with a hint of anger, "is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! 'Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?"

Tidus thought about it. He didn't think that Wakka and Rikku had probably ever met before. It was at least unlikely. How could they both tell the same lie? Tidus gave up and came to the conclusion that they weren't lying. At least, he couldn't prove it yet, so there was no reason to point his finger in anyone's face shouting "I told you so!" Maybe no one had been to Zanarkand in so long they'd forgotten about it, but people had moved back in. Zanarkand, after all, didn't seem to have any connection to the world outside as far as he knew. They always had blitz matches against other Zanarkand teams, food was grown there, and water was already there. People had no reason to live and no one seemed to come to them. Tidus hoped that this was the case. It at least made him feel better to think it was.

Tidus unexpectedly felt his head being grabbed and noogied, messing his hair up. Wakka had him in a head lock. "But you from the Zanarkand Abes--that was a good one!" He laughed heartily. "Hey, I'm not saying that team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure a team living in luxury like that'd be pretty soft, eh?"

Tidus appreciated Wakka's attempt to make him cheer up. It would have been funny if the Sin Toxin excuse were true. Tidus knew it wasn't though and only got angry thinking about how Sin had brought him there in the first place. Everything started with Sin, and all he could hope was that finding Sin again would bring him back home. Until then, Tidus decided not to think about going home, but instead about the moment at hand and enjoying the beauty around him.

"Come on, brudda!" Wakka's call got his attention. He jogged off the beach through a little outlet leading to a forked path. Tidus followed. To the left was a buried piece of some kind of brass machine. _Machina,_ Tidus reminded himself. "This way," Wakka said walking backwards on the right of the fork. The left led up and over the machina and disappeared from view after that because it was much higher up. Tidus caught up to Wakka at the edge of a grassy ledge. The ledge looked down over sapphire water. Here it was calmer than the ocean, but still smelled salty and alive. Around the inlet were cliffs, which were lined with palms and flowers. Under the water, Tidus could see coral and other plants. Tidus leaned over for a better look. Crafty and quiet, Wakka snuck up behind and gave a little shove. Tidus let out a yell as he splashed down into the water.

Tidus laughed. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Swimming along in the peaceful serenity, Tidus's eyes darted everywhere trying to take in all the unfamiliar beauty of the landscape. The water gently accepted their presence, allowing them to glide along.

Tidus was looking over his shoulder when from behind he was ambushed. Pressure was put on his neck and his hair was… ruffled? Tidus struggled to get away from Wakka's grasp. "Lemme go!"

Wakka didn't release him, but instead said, "Got a favor to ask ya."

Tidus grinned. "You want me on your team, right?"

Wakka let go of him letting him dip under the water, then resurface. "A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Then you can go back to your old team, right? It'll be fun! What do you say, huh? Come on, come on!"

Tidus considered for a moment. Everything in his head swirled around as if trying to find the right answer to all of this. Only possibilities and opinions came to him. His mind came to the conclusion that at least blitzball was better than nothing. "Sure thing." Tidus began to swim again making his way past Wakka.

Wakka felt like doing a little victory dance. "Dude! Our team is gonna rock, eh?" he said to Tidus's back. After a second more of savoring his ecstacy, he began to swim again, too.

Tidus began to wonder if the only things in common between his Zanarkand and this new world, Spira, as he was later told it was called, were blitzball and Sin. He would soon find out that was almost on the mark.


	7. Vision of Utopia

Tidus stood on the edge of the hill looking down at the little village. The homes looked like tents and at the rear, looming over all, was what looked like a giant temple or church. The stone it was constructed of was a gorgeous blue that almost matched the sky. The inhabitants of the little utopia were going about their daily business. Tidus had never seen a place so small. He'd only ever seen Zanarkand and that was well over a hundred times larger in comparison.

"This is where I was born," Wakka said stepping up beside him. "I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen... ten years ago. Ten years... and we never won a game." Wakka sighed. "Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right." Wakka began to walk down the hill.

Tidus's stomach growled violently. Tidus groaned in response. "Quiet, you. There's probably food in the village," he thought to himself. Excited by the thought, Tidus caught up to Wakka.

As they walked, Wakka kept talking. "So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my wandered, I thought about the game."

"Ten years without a single win'll do that," Tidus said only half jokingly.

Wakka still smiled. "My first match last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus."

"Nice excuse," Tidus laughed.

Wakka raised his hands defensively, laughing along with him. "Hey, hey!"

Tidus put his right hand on his hip. He moved his left as he talked. "So you want to win the next tournament...go out with a bang." Wakka nodded. Tidus grinned. "So, what's our goal?"

"I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best. If we give it our all, I can walk away happy."

Tidus shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. If I say, 'What's our goal?' then you say, 'Victory!' When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

Wakka shrugged his shoulders. He looked confused and a bit shocked. "Victory? You serious?"

Tidus nodded confidently.

"Alright!" Wakka looked thrilled. Tidus was glad to have made his day. Together, they walked down to the village. When they were almost there, two men that Tidus recognized from a glimpse on the beach ran up to them. The taller one was red-haired. His shoulders and elbows were adorned with leather plates. He had long black sleeves coming from the elbow plates. His shirt was green. Tidus thought it looked very odd. Even his purple pants had huge cloth stitching up the sides. His companion was no better. The dark-haired man had a ponytail, but the sides and back of his head were shaved short. He also wore shoulder and elbow pads, but the shoulder pads were silver, while his elbows were simply thick cloth. His shirt was green and he had a leather plate over his abdomen, strapped on with cord. His shorts were cloth, but they looked quite a bit like they were made of dried grass. His boots were knee high and brown with black knee plates. The red-haired man's deep voice shocked Tidus out of staring at them.

"Ah, the one from the sea!"

"Be on your guard! They're fiends on the road today!" The black-haired man's voice didn't hold the same strength and confidence of his companion's.

"After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now."

The two of them turned and ran off before Tidus even had a chance to reply to them. "Eh..." He turned to Wakka entirely confused. "Who were they?"

"Luzzu and Gatta. Crusaders."

Tidus scratched his head. "Crews of what?"

Wakka gave a look of utter defeat. "What, you forgot that, too?" He felt bad seeing Tidus hang his head in despair. "Hey, sorry. Don't worry about it, I'll help you out." Tidus's head raised again.

"Cool. In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup!" He resolutely made a fist.

"Cool. About the crusaders, you can ask them yourself. They've got a lodge in the village." Together, they finish the walk down the hill. Outside the village entrance which was two cloth walls on each side of a stone path, they stopped.

"Besaid Village," Wakka said looking very sentimental.

"They got any food there?"

Wakka gestured with his pointer finger. "We'll get you something over there later. Take a look around first."

Tidus was disappointed to hear that, but at least the promise of food was in the near future.

"Let's see... The Crusader's lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there." He pointed to a blue tent. The blue tent was a similar color to the temple. It seemed that the colors blue, green, and brown were everywhere. The sky, the water, the buildings, and the flowers were all blue. The foliage was green along with some people's clothes. The earth and the skin of the villager's were a rich brown. The landscape was a peaceful, beautiful scene right out of a painting. "Oh, right. Over here!"

Wakka pulled him off to the side behind one of the entrance barriers. "Huh? What's up?" he asked.

"You do remember the prayer, right?"

Tidus stuttered for an answer. "Erm... I don't remember."

Tidus thought inwardly to himself that he didn't even know any prayers to start with. Still, he felt bad telling Wakka that he didn't pray.

"Man, that's like the basic of basics. Alright, I'll show you." Wakka repeated the same gesture that they had done on the beach. Tidus recognized it instantly and repeated it for Wakka so he could reaffirm his knowledge. Tidus grinned to himself. It was the blitzball player's sign for victory. "Hey, not bad. Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner."

Wakka walked away. The impact of being alone again wasn't as harsh. He knew that Wakka would only be a couple of tents away. Tidus stepped into the strange village and wondered where to go. He wanted to explore, but wasn't sure if he could. Feeling bold, and knowing that he could claim the toxin as the cause for his intrusions, he decided to make it an adventure.


	8. Sacrilege Against the Temple

Chapter 8: Sacrilege Against the Temple

Tidus began to explore the village which took no time at all since it was so small. The people were accommodating and genial. He even decided to stop into the Crusaders's lodge to chat with them for a bit.

Luzzu, the red-head, greeted him as he walked in. Tidus smiled. "How're you guys?"

"Very well," Luzzu said poilitely nodding his head. "Yourself?"

Tidus nodded in return. "Just fine. Hey, I was wondering, what're… Crusaders?"

Luzzu raised an eyebrow. Gatta came blowing out of the room in the back of the tent. "You don't know what the Crusaders are?"

Luzzu turned to him. "He needs our help. It's obvious the toxin has been terrible for him."

Gatta lowered his shoulders. "Sorry."

Luzzu turned back to Tidus. "The Crusaders are warriors against Sin. We've been battling him for over 800 years. Because of out unorthodox methods, we are also outcasts in the eyes of the Temple. Still, we can sometimes protect the shore from Sin, and it's better than nothing."

"Eight hundred years and you haven't beaten him?" Tidus crossed his arms, his interest piqued.

"Defeating Sin is not our job. We don't have the proper faith for it. Only someone who has learned all the teachings and makes a pilgrimage will be able to defeat Sin. That is the purpose of the Summoner."

Tidus shook his head while saying, "a Summoner?" He couldn't imagine how an old man in robes could defeat something as big as Sin.

Gatta smiled. "Maybe you should go to the Temple and ask the priest about it. I'm sure he can give you more information."

Tidus nodded. "Alright. I'll see you guys later." He pulled back the flap of the tent and walked out. The Temple loomed off to his left. Tidus couldn't see inside from where he was. The interior was too dark, especially compared to the bright sunshine.

Once inside, his eyes adjusted to the darkness lit only by torches and candles. All around the huge round room were statues of men and women. People all around the room were knelt in prayer or standing and going through the arm motions. Some spoke their hearts aloud, while others looked like they were in a state of meditation.

Tidus walked up to a statue that was unoccupied.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner. And finally we received a statue for our temple." Behind Tidus was a bald man in dark maroon and navy blue robes.

"What's a high summoner?" Gasps erupted from the people around the room, even the ones who looked like they hadn't been paying attention to anything outside themselves. "I...I got too close to Sin's, uh, toxin." Everyone relaxed some, but only enough to go back to what they were doing with worried faces. Sin could be close and that was always a sign for worry.

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon."

Tidus looked over his shoulder to the statue if the man with the staff. Tidus knew he should have felt some kind of reverence for this figure of stone. It was difficult though. He still hardly knew what a summoner was and why they were the only ones with the power to defeat Sin. As soon as the priest walked away, Tidus slipped out of the Temple as quickly and quietly as he could. It didn't hold anything over him, he felt out of place among the worshippers.

Tidus jogged down the hill from the Temple to the tent Wakka had mentioned earlier for food. Pulling the flap aside, he stepped into the warm room that smelled of cooked fish and bread. Tidus was ready to dive on the food. He couldn't find any. He gave Wakka a pitiful look.

"Sorry, man. No time for lunch yet. Take a nap! You look bushed."

Tidus wanted to whine until food was brought to him, but knew that was no way to treat a man who was befriending him. Resignedly, Tidus laid down a nearby cot. It was warm and soft, like his bed at home. If was ever going home. Tidus put his hands behind his head and began to doze. He didn't realize how long it had been since he'd actually slept and not just been knocked out cold.

A little while later, Tidus half woke up. Wakka was standing in the hut with the bald priest. The priest said to Wakka, "You could at least go see how they are doing."

"We can't interfere. It's a rule," was the only reply.

"But, it's been nearly..."

Tidus wanted to hear more. He was curious and wondered if "they" were someone he should know about. His brain, however, relaxed and put him back into sleep.

"But, it's been nearly..." a voice said.

"It's been nearly a day already," finished another.

"Perhaps you could go look for us," said a female voice.

"People are searching for him now."

Tidus could see his mother standing on the edge of the dock outside of his house. Standing before her was one of the cities guards. He didn't look sympathetic. Instead, he looked very harassed. Finally, he walked away leaving Tidus's mother alone.

She lowered her head. "Thank you." As the man receded into the distance, she clasped her hands together. Tidus wondered if she was trying to pray, or maybe reach out for him with her mind. Tidus just didn't understand what she saw in him.

Young Tidus was standing beside her. "Who cares whether he comes back or not?"

"But he might die!"

"Fine, let him!"

"Do you... Do you hate him so?" she asked knowing the answer already. Tidus's father had never shown any love toward him that either of them could remember, but she didn't think anyone could hater her beloved husband. It just didn't seem possible in her eyes.

Tidus nodded. There were no tears on his cheek like there were on her's. She wondered if her son's hate was keeping him lost at sea. She wasn't normally superstitious, but there was always a chance that some greater power could grant wishes and that her child's was coming true. "If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him."

Tidus woke up feeling exhausted, despite having rested for so long. The sun was still high in the sky and it seemed everyone was feeling lazy today. Even the woman preparing food across the room was moving sluggishly. Tidus hoped it would cool off by nightfall. "Wakka?" He was no where in sight. Turning to the woman, he asked, "Do you know where Wakka went?" The short reply she gave was "The temple." Tidus rose and went back out into the hot tropic sun. It felt good on his skin after having been a night owl at home for so long. A few steps and he was inside the cool temple again. The priest was still talking to Wakka. Wakka looked concerned and kept glancing up the stairs at the back of the temple. "Is something wrong?"

Wakka looked over his shoulder. "The summoner hasn't returned from the trial." Wakka ignored Tidus's confusion. "Well, apprentice summoner, really..." Again Tidus opened his mouth and make another sound of bewilderment. "There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, remember?"

"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it.

"A day's already gone by." Wakka looked up the stairs again.

"Is it particularly dangerous in there?"

"Sometimes, yes."

Tidus felt like hitting Wakka in the forehead, but instead formed his frustration into a question. "Why don't you go in and help?"

"There's already guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden."

Tidus couldn't handle standing idly by waiting with Wakka for a summoner to be delivered through the doors, dead of alive. He ran halfway up the flight of stairs. "Hey, but what if somethin' happens? What if the summoner dies!?"

The priest interjected. "The precepts must be obeyed!"

Tidus ran up the rest of the stairs shouting, "Like I care!" He tuned out the gasps and whispers that erupted from the people inside the temple who watched from the ground floor. He burst through the doors of the temple into the cold, stone, greenish-blue room. Tidus began to speculate if he was out of his mind. It began to look like a bad idea.


End file.
